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The commercial city of
Bikamer may not quite possess the aesthetic attraction of its more venerable
neighbor, Jaisalmer, over 300km southwest, but it does boast a spectacular fort
and an old city dotted with havelis and surrounded by 7km of high walls. In
addition, simply because Rajasthan's fourth largest city receives fewer visitors
than other major settlements, it has a certain unspoilt feel.
Most foreign tourists only spend one night here en route to or from Jaisalmer,
but extend your stay and you can visit the famous rat temple at nearby Deshnok,
and the government camel-breeding farm , 10km south.
The city was founded in 1486 as a link in the overland trading route, by Bika ,
one of fourteen sons of Rao Jodha, the Rathore king who established Jodhpur as
the centre of the state of Marwar. Two emissaries he had sent in search of a
site for his new capital had met a shepherd called Ner (whence the town's name)
who claimed to have watched one of his sheep fend off seven wolves under a khair
bush; the spot was selected in the belief it would inspire courage in the people
who lived there. Under Rai Singh, who came to the throne in 1573, Junagarh Fort
was built and closer ties were forged with the Moghuls; Rai Singh gave his
daughter in marriage to one of Akbar's sons.
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Later, during the
fifty-six-year reign of Ganga Singh in the early 1900s, new agricultural
schemes, irrigation work, town planning and the construction of a rail link with
Delhi helped Bikaner's economic advance; it has long since outgrown the confines
of the city wall, and the population has tripled in size since 1947 to almost
half a million.
The City
It's worth spending a day or two just wandering around Bikaner, watching dyers
at work, visiting the ancient Jain temples , and exploring Junagarh Fort .
Bikaner is also famous for its skilled lacquer work and handicrafts, sold in the
bazaar for a fraction of Jaisalmer's inflated "tourist prices", and for its
hand-woven woollen shawls and blankets. The best place to buy the latter is the
Abhivyakti shop just inside the main gate of the fort.
Bikamer
Camel Safaris
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